Jaime's Law

Summary#

This bill amends 18 U.S.C. 922 to expand background-check and transfer rules to include ammunition. It would make it unlawful for unlicensed people to transfer ammunition to other unlicensed people unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer first takes possession and follows the chapter's requirements for transfers. A licensed dealer who takes possession must treat the transfer like a sale from its inventory; if the transfer cannot be completed, returning the ammunition to the original transferor does not count as a transfer. Dealers must also give a written notice of the prohibition to unlicensed transferees and obtain a certification on a form set by the Attorney General.

The bill lists specific exceptions. Exceptions include law enforcement officers and military acting in their official roles; certain family and household transfers (spouses, partners, parents and children including step-relations, siblings, aunts/uncles and nieces/nephews, grandparents and grandchildren); transfers to estate or trust representatives by operation of law; temporary transfers to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm; transfers approved under Internal Revenue Code section 5812; and short-term transfers at shooting ranges, for hunting/trapping/fishing with conditions, or while the transferor is present. The bill also makes technical and conforming changes to other statutory cross-references.

The bill includes rules of construction that say it does not authorize the creation of a national firearms or ammunition registry and does not interfere with State authority to enact similar laws. The effective date is 180 days after enactment.

What it means for you#

  • If you are an unlicensed person who wants to sell, give, or otherwise transfer ammunition to another private person, the transfer generally must go through a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer who takes possession and follows the statutory transfer steps.
  • Licensed dealers must provide a notice and obtain a signed certification from unlicensed transferees on an Attorney General form before completing such transfers.
  • Common personal or short-term situations may be allowed under the listed exceptions (family transfers, law enforcement, estate transfers, temporary transfers to prevent harm, transfers at ranges, or for hunting with conditions).
  • These rules would start to apply 180 days after the bill becomes law.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill states its purpose is to enhance the background check process to prevent the purchase of ammunition by individuals who are prohibited from doing so under Federal and State law. It achieves this by bringing most private ammunition transfers under the same dealer-handling and background-check requirements that apply to firearms transfers.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.